Earth Hour 2012: India Turns Off the Lights; Earth Hour Photos over the Years

"Chicago is rising fast as a geopolitical actor – think of the state visit by Chinese president Hu Jintao in January 2011, when he stopped not just in Washington but also in Chicago," Sassen said. Image: Chicago's skyline captured during Earth Hour 2008.Reuters

Toronto: Earth Hour 2009Reuters

Canada: Earth Hour 2008Reuters

Sydney, the last leg for the Intel Ultrabook Race, an urban jungle ready to be exploredReuters

Singapore: Earth Hour 2009Reuters

Hong Kong: Earth Hour 2009Reuters

Beijing: Earth Hour 2009Reuters

Rome: Earth Hour 2009Reuters

Paris: Earth Hour 2009Reuters

Dubai: Earth Hour 2009Reuters

London: Earth Hour 2010Reuters

Sexual harassment of women in London at shocking levelsReuters

Beijing: Earth Hour 2010Reuters

Jakarta: Earth Hour 2010Reuters

Athens: Earth Hour 2010Reuters

Cairo: Earth Hour 2010Reuters

Kuala Lumpur: Earth Hour 2011Reuters

Seoul: Earth Hour 2011Reuters

Taipei: Earth Hour 2011Reuters

Mumbai: Earth Hour 2011Reuters

New Delhi: Earth Hour 2011Reuters

As people across the world observe Earth Hour 2012 at 8:30 pm on Saturday by switching off lights for an hour, various organizations in India too will show their support for action on climate change tonight.

New Delhi: Earth Hour 2011Reuters

New Delhi: Earth Hour 2011Reuters

Over 6 million Indians participated in the Earth Hour observation last year. For a change, Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar has been appointed as the national brand ambassador of the cause.

Science Popularization Association of Communicators and Educators (SPACE), a Delhi based science awareness organization, is going to observe Earth Hour by putting up a telescopes at India Gate between 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm to let the people have a glimpse of the sky free from light pollution.

The Park Hotels, Apeejay Surrendra group and several organizations have expressed their support for the cause and will switch off the lights at all their properties across the country.

The United Nations too will participate in the Earth Hour event by switching off the lights in all its facilities around the world.

Earth Hour is an event organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), encouraging the people to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour to show their support for action on climate change. It is held on the last Saturday of March every year.

WWF and The Sydney Morning Herald came up with the concept of Earth Hour in 2007 and about 2.2 million residents of Sydney observed it. Several other cities around the world adopted the event in the years that followed.